Cowboys' defense misses Lee's leadership

Updated 8:22 pm, Thursday, December 29, 2011

With the spotlight on quarterback Tony Romo's bruised right hand, the flu that has sidelined Sean Lee hasn't gotten much attention.

But coach Jason Garrett conceded Thursday that Lee's absence from practice is a worrisome fact for a defense that was plagued by communication problems in the 37-34 loss to the Giants three weeks ago.

Lee's illness has prevented him from practicing the last two days. In addition to leading the team in tackles and sharing the lead in interceptions, Lee is defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's coach on the field.

“Sean's a big part of our defense,” Garrett said in Irving. “We're hopeful he's going to be able to play in this game. You just hope he can catch up as the week goes on.

“He'll do a good job of that, preparing, and hopefully communication won't be an issue for us.”

BRYANT'S LEGAL ISSUES:Dez Bryant faces the embarrassing possibility that he could be served with a lawsuit by a New York-based finance company this weekend while in New Jersey.

The second-year wide receiver reportedly owes Endurance Capital Fund some $50,000 for an unpaid loan. Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said the club continues to support Bryant, who has faced two other debt-related lawsuits since Dallas selected the Oklahoma State alum in the first round in April 2010.

“I think most of these incidents revolve around things he did early on, when he first got in the NFL,” Jones told Sirius NFL Radio. “I think he's learning from that, but there are still some lingering things that probably, if he had to do it over again, he'd do differently.

“We've obviously sat down with him on numerous occasions to give any advice we can ... Hopefully, he'll be able to correct those things so it doesn't affect what he can accomplish on the field. If you don't clean those things up, they tend to affect your career. He understands that.”